Coming out of the woodwork

The Carving Change seminar at Sylva Wood School took place on 10th October this year and was the kind of day that leaves you with a lot to think about in the best possible way.

The speakers were open about their experiences in craft education, apprenticeships and boatbuilding, and it set a pacy rhythm for the morning. Questions came thick and fast. We heard about the value of early support, the importance of role models, and the small practical changes that help people feel they belong. Cheerleader for gender inclusion, Katy Thompson (a maker/finisher from our team), spoke with her usual honesty and conviction about making sure people who have historically felt excluded from woodworking are not just “not put off” but welcomed with open arms.

The afternoon workshops were energetic, urgent and great fun. Ideas moved quickly from conversation to sketches, ranging from realistic organisational changes to lighter, imaginative concepts like a travelling workshop that brings making into different communities. The “Wood Wagon” fleet of minibuses drew a lot of smiles, but also genuine interest. Ideas first labelled impossible were shaped into real possibilities.

Carving Change isn’t something you can wrap up in a single session, and Cat, who leads the project, is in constant touch with its supporters. We all left encouraged to keep thinking, keep sharing and keep building. We’re committed to staying involved and helping shape a woodworking world that feels welcoming to anyone who wants to be part of it. Here’s to the day when women in well-fitting PPE are a normal sight in woodworking workshops, and the scantily clad calendar girls have been taken down for good.